I’m a fan of this.
If the state mandates something on the counties, then the state should cough up the money to pay for it.
They need “skin in the game.”
COLFAX — Long-standing frustrations over unfunded state mandates could prompt the Washington State Association of Counties to take legal action, possibly as soon as this week.
Whitman County Commissioner Michael Largent, who serves as second vice president of the association, said a lawsuit over a 2017 law dealing with ballot boxes could be filed any day.
“It should be filed the first part of June,” he said.
Counties have grumbled about unfunded mandates for years, but the complaints have grown in volume since 2001, when voters enacted a 1 percent cap on the annual growth in county property tax revenues.
The revenue limitation steadily erodes a county’s ability to pay for basic services, forcing them to cut corners on road maintenance, public safety and other areas.
No more unfunded mandates
COLFAX – Long-standing frustrations over unfunded state mandates could prompt the Washington State Association of Counties to take legal action, possibly as soon as this week. Whitman County Commissioner Michael Largent, who serves as second vice president of the association, said a lawsuit over a 2017 law dealing with ballot boxes could be filed any day.